


Pink Providence

by starsteemer



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22226575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsteemer/pseuds/starsteemer
Summary: Pink Diamond chooses to come clean about her alter-ego Rose Quartz, and fights for Earth not as part of the diamond authority or as the rebel Rose Quartz, but as her own gem Rose Diamond. What might have happened if Rose hadn't lied to everyone? If Steven had gotten the mother he deserves?
Relationships: Rose Quartz & Greg Universe
Comments: 37
Kudos: 161





	1. Message To The Universe

News of the attack on Pink Diamond spread far and wide in a matter of minutes. There was shock, disbelief, and anger. A Rose Quartz, attacking Pink Diamond in front of her entire entourage. It was believed her gem was intact, as no shards were found, but the entirety of homeworld was in an uproar over this horrible transgression. The Diamonds expected blackmail, a ransom, a message. Blue, Yellow and White had convened in White’s head to discuss what their next move would be. It was less of a discussion and more of a cycle of outrage.   
  
“UNBELIEVABLE. We’re all just STANDING here while those disgusting rebels have Pink captured! WHY AREN’T WE DOING ANYTHING?” Yellow exploded, pacing back and forth in front of a screen displaying the reports which were flooding in. Fighting had broken out at the scene of the apparent poofing and kidnapping, and their on-screen view of the chaos made an excellent backdrop to their own pandemonium.   
  
“Yellow, Please.. We can’t be rash! What if they hurt Pink??” Blue’s choked up voice spoke up, huge wet tears welling in her eyes, her hands laced together and pressed to her lips to hide the trembling there.   
“We must make our next move carefully.”  
  
“And _what,_ just GIVE IN to their demands!?” Yellow rounded on Blue, her heels at this point having cracked the floor, the thin cracks following her footsteps.   
“We must show these Crystal Gems that we DO NOT negotiate with their filth, and that punishment for kidnapping a diamond is SWIFT and _AGONIZING.”_   
  
“I won’t risk them hurting Pink!” Blue shot back defensively, her blue aura encompassing the enclosed space, tears streaming down her face like rivers. Yellow paused to blink back her own tears, balling her fists at her sides.   
  
White, who had been quiet so far, finally held up her hand to stop their bickering.   
“If it weren’t for the fact that Pink was still on the planet, I'd simply destroy every gem on the surface. But with Pink there, we’re at a stalemate. We have no choice but to wait for their demands… Give them what they want, and the moment Pink is off-world, we _obliterate_ every miserable gem on the surface.   
  
Yellow huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at the screen displaying the chaos at Pink’s Palanquin. Blue ducked her head in grief, her hair covering her face, and her blue aura retracting its effect. White silently commanded her Pearl to cycle through the reports that were flooding in for any updates, the puppeted gem sliding eerily across the room with that blank smile on her bleached face.   
  
Yellow Pearl and Blue Pearl watched the ghost of a gem with silent discomfort. What was there to do now, if all they had to do was wait for news?   
  
On screen a pink notification flashed in Gem Glyph. All three diamond’s attention were promptly directed to the screen. Yellow’s face twisted with irritation.   
“That’s our direct message line. The Rebels would dare use our personal communication line??”  
  
“Clearly they want our attention..” Blue spoke in hushed tones, her tears ceasing to flow and her gaze hardening. “Well, they have it.”   
  
The communication screen unfolded, and on their seperate screens of the battle at the Palanquin, the fighting had stopped completely.   
  
All over the galaxy, communication screens were unveiling the same message that would change gem-kind forever. Every colony, every mining asteroid, every tower and kindergarten, every space station, if it had gem tech, the message was being received.   
  
An image was soon revealed of Pink Diamond’s gem, glowing in the hands of her very own pearl, a spear held deftly in her other hand. They were atop the Palanquin, and before the eyes of every gem in existence, Pink Diamond’s form appeared, then changed, in both stature and size. When Pink Diamond reformed anew before the screen, she no longer looked like the Pink Diamond they knew. She was no larger than a quartz, her short poofy hair exchanged for pink ringlets which grazed her shoulders, her outfit reminiscent of the playful Diamond attire, but now altered to demonstrate a flowing layered skirt and off-the-shoulder sleeves. Her gem, upside down from its original position encompassed by the symbol of the Crystal Gems, the star. She looked like a cross between the familiar Pink Diamond, and the rebel leader Rose Quartz.   
  
No one spoke as she took form, facing the communication’s screen to let every gem take her altered appearance in. Finally, she spoke.   
  
“Pink Diamond is gone.” She stated with absolute certainty, her expression more serious than the Diamond’s had ever seen.   
“She was killed by the thoughtlessness of her family, by the injustices of the Empire, by the neglect and the manipulation. Homeworld has failed not only Pink Diamond, but gems of every cut, color and facet. I come to you now not as part of the diamond authority, nor as my alter-ego Rose Quartz. I am Rose Diamond. And I fight for Earth!”   
  
Rose drew her sword from her gem, lifting it up towards the sky.   
“I fight for freedom from homeworld’s oppression! I fight for the gems broken, imprisoned and outcast for being made too small, off-color, or for fusing with whomever they choose! I fight for truth, even if it means sacrificing Pink Diamond _and_ Rose Quartz. Earth is an independent colony and i hereby claim it for all the gems that Homeworld hates, and the organic life being stamped out for the sake of a broken and pointless empire! You are NOT invisible! You are NOT another cog in the machine! You are NOT defective! I call upon all gems who are ready for a new era of freedom! Of Love! Of Truth! Join the rebellion, and together we’ll spread peace across the universe, and make Earth safe from the oppression of The Diamond Authority! We are everywhere, we are powerful, WE ARE THE CRYSTAL GEMS!”  
  
Below her, all the crystal gems fighting had raised their weapons in a chorus of cheers. The gems who had once been part of Pink Diamond’s entourage stood there stunned, unable to react. Did they join their diamond? Fight for homeworld?   
A Ruby with her gem in her eye threw down her dagger and raised her fist.   
“Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose!”   
  
Other gems threw down their weapons and raised their fists in a chorus of cheers.   
“ROSE! ROSE! ROSE! ROSE!”   
  
Rose looked around, a grin slowly spreading across her face as one by one, gems who once served Pink Diamond were now dedicating themselves to the cause. She did feel some doubt at whether they were truly following her ideals or herself for being their diamond, but it felt good to announce the truth. No longer would she pretend to be a perfect diamond or be something she wasn’t. Her followers deserved her honest self, and evidently she was applauded for her honesty.   
  
The Diamonds stared at the screen in complete and total shock. Yellow was the first to regain her composure.   
  
“Pink! What fresh nonsense is this!? Stop this childishness at once, you’re embarrassing gemkind!”  
  
Blue pitched in next, her face dark and somber. “This is completely unacceptable.”   
  
White, her face a blank mask, merely smiled serenely. “Have your fun then Starlight. You’ll come crawling back home eventually. I’ll make sure of that.” Her voice icy and vaguely threatening seemed to echo.   
  
Rose did not back down. She faced them with her head held high and her eyes ablaze with passion. “Pink is gone. No more gems need to suffer. Release Earth from the Empire and the fighting will stop.”   
  
“ABSOLUTELY NOT.” Yellow snapped, sweeping her arm out dramatically. “Let it be known that every gem to join your petty rebellion will be known as a traitor to homeworld and shattered for their insolence!   
  
Rose closed her eyes and furrowed her brows as if in pain. She’d expected this response, but that didn’t make it hurt any less to hear out loud.   
“Then you leave me no choice.”   
With that, the communication device cut out, and the Diamonds were left with their auxiliary video from the gems on the ground, their last vision of Pink being her holding her sword aloft atop her Palanquin, gems cheering for their new leader, Rose Diamond, before that video too was then cut out.   
  
What ensued between the 3 Diamonds was total silence. A total civil war was on their hands now, and with the added disaster of Pink Diamond herself leading the charge. No word in existence could accurately describe their collective confusion, hurt and anger. But this was their reality now and so, wordlessly, they prepared for a much bigger war than anticipated.   
  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Rose jumped down from the Palanquin, floating gracefully to the ground to address her former subjects and her Crystal Gems. She was immediately surrounded, until Pearl alighted beside her and began to defensively push everyone back, fanning out her spear to give Rose some space. She was bombarded with questions, and the overwhelming intensity of it, and the way she’d directly defied The Diamonds had left her mind racing.   
  
“Give her space!” Pearl demanded shrilly, slashing her spear at those who crowded in too close.   
  
“I can’t believe you did that!”   
“What happens now??”  
“Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond!?”  
“Why would you do that!?”  
  
“Enough!” Rose raised her voice, and the cacophony of voices fell silent. Rose released an uneasy sigh, then addressed the gems before her, gentler this time.  
“I know many of you are confused and lost. I won’t make anybody fight. I’m no longer your diamond. Those who would rather remain on homeworld, you’re free to leave unharmed. Those who wish to join, not out of loyalty to who I used to be but out of support for our cause are welcome to come to the temple to join up. Please… no more questions at this time.”   
  
Rose moved through the crowd like a shark through a school of fish, all eyes on her. Now, Rose just really needed to be at the temple to plan her next move.   
Her announcement hadn’t been a total surprise to everyone. Bismuth had suggested the idea of getting herself poofed publicly to make a statement, and Garnet had been the one to predict what kind of reaction her announcement would receive. Pearl of course had been her confidant every step of the way. Telling her friends hadn’t been easy, she was terrified of being rejected for lying to them, of being accused of being fake, or selfish. She was surprised at how they’d understood. Really, they just seemed grateful they were told at all. It felt good. To be who she truly was without apology or secrets.   
  
The gems too confused or too loyal to homeworld broke away from the scene to find the nearest warp home and away from associating themselves with the rebellion. Those who were left with no purpose with no diamond to pledge loyalty to followed the other Crystal Gem’s lead, to find a new purpose.   
  
Her message had been sent. Now it was time to wait for it to be received. 


	2. Storm in the Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose tries to prepare for future conflicts regarding her reveal by reliving the first and most difficult Crystal Gem's reaction to her true self in her temple room.

“Pearl, think you can manage the crowds? I need some time alone.” Rose had finally reached the temple, where some other crystal gems had heard the news and were staring at Rose with a mixture of distrust and awe. Rose knew they had questions, but she needed to think before she could answer them. Today was a big day, and they would only get harder as the war continued.    
  
“Of course.” Pearl replied simply, meeting the gazes of their fellow crystal gems. Not everyone would handle the news well. They could only hope the truth was enough to keep their rebellion together, and that they believe Rose’s motives were true.    
  
Rose gave Pearl that warm heart-melting smile she so longed for, before disappearing into her room of the temple.    
Rose stepped into a space full of fluffy pink clouds, where she could create anything. Today, she needed to relive the reactions of her friends, and try to understand how she could have explained her decision better, or to others who will come to her for answers.    
  
“Room, show me Bismuth, the day she showed me the Breaking Point.”    
The room’s technological capability in simulating personalities was limited but when it relied on Rose’s memories, it was a little more accurate. The clouds shifted and changed, warping into a blacksmiths chamber, hot lava bubbling in the grooves in the floor, weapons decorating the walls, and barrels of materials piled up around the forge. There Bismuth formed, excited to show Rose a new weapon she was certain would end the war.    
  
“With this, we can take the war straight to the diamonds! Think about it Rose! If we could just shatter a diamond, every single one of those upper-crusts will be scared off the planet!”    
  
Rose heard herself speak as if reliving it. “It’s not right Bismuth. Shattering a gem will destroy them forever.. If we shatter, we’re no better than Homeworld.”    
  
“OF  _ COURSE _ WE’RE BETTER THAN HOMEWORLD!” Bismuth ground out with intensity, aiming the weapon strapped to her wrist at one of the stone practice dummies, in one swift move punching out the gem and watching it crumble to gravel.    
“We’re fighting for freedom! The  _ ends  _ justify the  _ means _ Rose!”   
  
“And do you really think the diamonds would just lie down and accept that one of their own is shattered? They’ll  _ never _ leave Earth alone, they’d stop holding back!”   
  
“Then we’d stop holding back too. We could take the fight to homeworld, and shatter each and every Diamond. We could LIBERATE all of gemkind! If you truly wanted what was best for the Crystal Gems, you’d want to free  _ everyone _ from their tyranny. You’ve met Pink Diamond, you tried to talk with her! The diamonds will never listen, they’ve never cared. The only way to get their attention is to attack them. Head. On. “   
  
This conversation had been one of the most difficult Rose had ever faced, and she thought talking to White was hard. She closed her eyes, tears brimming there. The thought of shattering the diamonds, no matter how cruel they’d been to her, was unthinkable. They were still her family. She still loved them.    
The idea that shattering just Pink would be enough to scare the diamonds off of Earth was a fascinating one. Without Pink, what further reason would they have to fight? But it felt too easy, and the idea of living her life as Rose Quartz forever, as a lie, sounded exhausting. She could no longer lie to her friends.    
  
“Bismuth, I have something to tell you.” Rose began, averting her gaze with guilt. “There’s a reason we’ve been winning the war so far. How I've known about every strategy and every plan. It’s because it’s… it’s my doing.”    
  
“.... **_What_ ** …” Bismuth growled, lowering the Breaking Point slowly. “Rose, what are you talking about? You didn’t make them fight us, Pink Diamond did. Garnet’s future vision is how we know… Rose?”    
  
Rose clenched her teeth. This was more painful than she had anticipated and Bismuth, being the most fiercely loyal gem to the cause she’d ever met would surely feel betrayed by the truth. But if anyone deserved to know the truth, it was Bismuth. What other choice did she have, poof and bubble away the best blacksmith and most respected crystal gem? That would have been cowardly. Rose wanted to be better than that and stop running from her mistakes and her lies.    
  
“I can’t shatter Pink Diamond, because i  _ am  _ Pink Diamond.” The truth felt like it was burning her from the inside out, and her nerves were on fire as she shapeshifted to her original form. She knelt before bismuth with her head lowered in shame.    
“You deserve the truth, Bismuth. You’re the most loyal Crystal Gem there is, and… lying to you will only make things worse.”    
  
For several agonizing seconds, Bismuth could only stare. Then her face twisted in fury, she whipped around and slashed another rock dummy in half with her scythe-hands, then howled with fury as her hammer obliterated another. She turned to face Pink, slamming both into the ground before her, her face strained with unrelenting betrayal.    
  
“ **HOW COULD YOU!?** ” She snarled, tears brimming in her eyes. “Gems were poofed, and shattered in this war.. And you mean to tell me that we've been fighting  **_YOU_ ** the entire time!? You’re a  **_DIAMOND_ ** . You could have stopped this, but instead you.. You  **_used_ ** us, played  _ GAMES  _ with us!  **_LIED to us!_ ** Why, Rose!?”    
Bismuth pounded the ground once more, her teeth clenched. She was holding back the urge to shatter Pink Diamond then and there. The rebellion would hail her as a hero. But the fact that Rose had told the truth made her hesitate. What excuse could possibly be good enough?   
  
Rose looked at Bismuth with deep sorrow. “I  _ tried.  _ My status as a diamond means nothing to them. I assumed the identity of Rose Quartz to get them to listen to me. I just wanted the colonization to stop. Then… Garnet changed everything. I wanted to fight for gems. For freedom. Bismuth, i never lied about my goals. I want to stop the colonization. I want to free gems from Homeworld’s oppression. Becoming someone else was the only way I could do it.”   
  
Bismuth hardened her face into a tight scowl. “But we’ve been fighting  _ your  _ forces. Pick a side, once and for all Pink Diamond. You can’t live your life with one foot on Earth and the other in a palace. You can’t keep lying.”    
  
“I know. I’m sorry, Bismuth. I choose the Crystal Gems. Being with you, fighting for Earth, living on this gorgeous planet, it’s everything I've ever wanted. Being a Diamond never made me happy, and I know there are other gems out there who hate being forced into the roles they were made for too. But I’m telling you the truth now. If… if you think shattering me is for the best, then…”    
She let that thought trail off.    
  
Bismuth closed her eyes and slowly stood up, and when she was looking at Rose again, she was offering her hand.    
“I’m… angry at you, Rose, Pink, whoever you are. But… I appreciate you telling me the truth. For choosing the Crystal Gems. You have to make this right. You have to tell everyone the truth.”    
  
Rose gave Bismuth a weak smile, lacing her fingers with hers, and shape-shifting slowly back into Rose. “I will. I’ll tell everyone. And… I’m still Rose. The part of me that was Pink Diamond is gone.”    
  
“Then you really are better than a diamond. Why don’t we make Pink’s death official then?” Bismuth gave her that familiar confident grin, and all at once Bismuth and the room evaporated in a cloud of smoke.    
  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
Rose blinked back tears from reliving her conversation with Bismuth. She had reacted perhaps the most harshly to the truth, but she needed to know. And with Bismuth’s help, she had been able to explain the truth to the Crystal Gems closest to her. Garnet had felt similarly betrayed and lied to, but after Rose had taken the time to explain to her that Garnet was the reason she wanted to free all gems, she had accepted her honesty with shocking calm. Pearl had been against telling the truth, but had recognized that the alternative was far worse. Better to face the music now than the consequences later of a life built on a lie.    
  
After their discussion, things between her and Bismuth had been tense. Bismuth would need time to fully trust her again, and Rose knew deep down that Bismuth wasn’t going to drop the idea of taking the war to Homeworld. She could only hope she could think of some way to talk her out of it.    
  
Her time in the room had helped her think. Nobody could react quite as bad as Bismuth did, so she felt confident enough to take on anyone else challenging her announcement. She opened the temple door and stepped out, and immediately came face-to-face with Jasper, being watched on both sides by Biggs and Crazy Lace due to Jasper’s original alliance to Pink.    
  
“You.” Jasper stated simply, her face creased with simmering ire.    
  
Maybe Bismuth wasn’t the hardest explanation she’d have to face today. 


	3. Message Received (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everyone is pleased with Pink Diamond's choice to relinquish her Diamond status in favor of Earth and the Crystal Gems.

“Jasper…” Rose started, surprised to see her here.    
This was no ordinary Jasper. When the war began, Blue and Yellow had instructed her to start production on more soldiers. The Beta Kindergarten was a rush job and had all the wrong conditions for growing soldiers, which was kinda the point. But Jasper, against all odds, had come out perfect. Rose had been so proud of her Jasper, so perfect, so strong, so loyal. She should have considered that a perfect Jasper would have been perfectly loyal, and would have felt perfectly betrayed by her Diamond’s apparent change of allegiance.    
  
“I’m… so happy to see y-” Rose began, offering an anxious smile and opening her arms compellingly before Jasper held up a hand.    
  
“Save it.” She growled. The conflicted emotions on her face were making it difficult for her to speak, but Rose could tell that being surrounded by potentially hostile gems was making it difficult for her to speak her mind.    
  
“Uh.. maybe we should get some privacy…” Rose suggested gently, looking at each of her Crystal Gems in turn so they’d get the message. Biggs and Crazy Lace backed away from Jasper, and Rose gestured for Jasper to follow her.    
Jasper silently followed Rose to the warp pad, and together they warped to Rose’s garden.    
  
It didn’t take long for Jasper to voice her grievances. Much to Rose’s dismay, Jasper immediately dropped a knee, clasping Rose’s hand with a desperate intensity.    
“My Diamond! Don’t do this. You’re throwing away  _ everything. _ I’ve been fighting since I broke free of the Earth’s crust, for  _ you! _ ”   
  
Rose stared unnerved at Jasper, her mouth suddenly going dry as she tried to summon a response. Jasper was a perfect and exceedingly loyal soldier. Maybe too loyal.    
“Jasper, I… appreciate your loyalty, but I am no longer your diamond. I am no longer anyone’s diamond. I’ll gladly throw away everything, my status, my power, for the Earth. For the Crystal Gems. Nothing you or anyone else can say is going to change that. You can either join us, or leave.”    
Grimacing, Rose slipped her hand out of Jasper’s grasp, turning away pained.    
  
Jasper couldn’t seem to believe what she was hearing, and stood up with her arms spread out in a pleading gesture.    
“My Diamond! This rock isn’t worth it! Don’t you care at all about the gems you’ve created?”    
  
“Of course i care, Jasper. That’s why I want them to be free of a diamond’s control. I want  _ you  _ to be free. Please understand, I’m doing this for the good of all gems. The empire is destructive. My decision is final.”    
  
“I… you..” Jasper strangled on her own words, then lowered her arms to her sides, clenching her teeth.    
“...My Diamond, forgive me…” Her voice had dropped to a hoarse whisper.    
  
Rose turned back to face her, feeling sorry for her lost soldier. “Jasper, there’s nothing to f-”    
Jasper suddenly lunged for her, a destabilizer clutched in her fist. Rose only had enough time to bring up enough of her shield for the weapon to glance off.    
  
“JASPER, STOP THIS AT ONCE.” She commanded, dodging her second jab with the destabilizer, and drawing her sword.    
  
“ **This is for your own good.** ” Jasper snarled, summoning her helmet and going into a spin-dash, missing when Rose leaps into the air, then spinning right back around aiming for where Rose lands.    
“I’ll bring your gem back to the diamonds, and they’ll knock some sense into you! You can’t just turn your back on everything! I won’t let you throw it AWAY!”    
  
Rose blocked Jasper with her shield, then turned to block her again when Jasper came at her from a different angle, sweat beading on her brow. She couldn’t keep just defending herself, but the thought of needing to attack Jasper filled her heart with dread. She’d hoped that all the gems loyal to Pink Diamond would just switch sides, but apparently it wasn’t that simple, and never could be.    
“Jasper, it doesn’t have to be like this! We can fight together! You can choose your own destiny!”    
  
Jasper skidded several feet away from her, gripping the destabilizer with grim determination.    
“You’ll thank me later, Pink.” She unleashed a guttural battle cry as she charged in, stopped short by the sword suddenly impaling her midsection. Jasper panted, shook, and looked up at Rose with regret.   
  
Rose released a shaky breath, her hands shaking on her sword’s grip. She never wanted it to come to this. Her perfect Jasper had such potential to be her greatest asset. Instead, it had come to this.    
Their eyes locked, before an explosion of clouds erupted around Jasper’s form, her gem and destabilizer falling unceremoniously into the dirt.    
  
Rose released a deep, weary sigh before crouching down to scoop up Jasper’s gem, encompassing her in a bubble and sending her off into the temple room, where the rest of their captured enemies were being held. She did the same with the destabilizer, then warped back to the temple. Ok, so maybe  _ that  _ was the most extreme reaction to her announcement.    
  
The first thing to greet her eyes when she returned was Pearl locked in a heated argument with none other than Spinel.    
_ Would this day ever end? _


	4. Message Received (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose struggles to deal with an old friend.

“Stop stalling! I need to see her!”   
  
“She’s busy, can’t you understand we’re in a _war_ here!?”  
  
“What _I_ understand is you’re keeping me from my _best friend_ and if you don’t MOVE IT I’m gonna do something we’ll BOTH regret!”  
  
“There’s more at stake than your feelings, if you’d just calm-”   
  
“Spinel?” Rose finally interrupted their bickering, glancing between the two with concern. Spinel looked a little different. Her cute heart-shaped buns had come undone, and she looked exhausted. And angry. Not at all like the cheerful Spinel she’d known.   
  
Spinel’s attention snapped to Rose, where she broke out in a smile that was both relieved and furious.   
“THERE YOU ARE! My best friend! Why didn’t you _tell me_ about this fun new game you’re playing?” Her voice seemed strained, but hopeful that there was a good reason.   
  
“This is _war_ , not a _game_!” Pearl hissed rather seriously, looking to Rose for backup on her point.   
  
Spinel bounced expectantly up to Rose, rocking back on her heels like a rocking horse while she waited for an answer, her disheveled look lending her the feeling of being on edge.   
  
Inwardly, Rose cringed. Spinel was fun to play with, for a time, but the truth was she’d grown up, and Spinel just didn’t seem capable of getting serious, especially not serious enough for a war. She was clingy and obsessive to boot, and Rose had better things to do with her time than carefully manage the feelings of such a fragile, childish gem. She’d completely forgotten about leaving Spinel in the garden, and had never expected her to show up on her doorstep.   
But she had made certain her message had gotten to _everyone._ And now Spinel was here, and Rose had to make up for leaving her there, no matter how she justified it in her own mind.   
  
“Spinel, I… I’m so happy to see you again. We need all the help we can get.” Rose opened her arms and with all the sincerity she could muster, wrapped Spinel in a gentle hug. She wasn’t being completely honest, but it was true they needed help, and right now Spinel seemed to be in too sensitive a state of mind to be given brutal honesty.   
  
“Oh! Oh! Good, good! I was… I was really nervous you just.. Heheh.. Forgot! Silly me, my best friend would never!” Spinel stammered, wrapping her noodly arms around Rose once, twice, and a third time, struggling to keep her voice from cracking.   
  
Already Rose was feeling suffocated, but she held on, sucking up the discomfort.   
“I… got busy, Spinel. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you in the garden.”   
  
“I forgive you! Silly Pink, running off without me! Did i play the game right? Did I win? I’m sorry I moved, really, but your message...” Spinel looked up at her with earnest, craving any sliver of validation that she’d done good, that she was wanted, that she’d served her purpose well and made her Diamond happy.   
  
“Game? What g- ohhhh! The game!” Rose remembered suddenly, guilt creeping across her face. She really hadn’t thought Spinel would have taken her game so seriously. Had she really just been standing in the garden this entire time, waiting for her to come back?  
Gently disentangling herself from Spinel’s arms, she set her hands on Spinel’s shoulders, crouching down to look her in the eyes better.   
  
“Spinel, you played it perfectly. You’ve definitely won the game, and now I have something new for you to help me with. Pearl’s right, Spinel. War is much more serious than a game, and I… I need to be able to trust you to take it seriously. Can you do that, Spinel?”   
  
Spinel’s grin lit up her entire face, then she straightened up comically stiff, giving the diamond salute. “Yes my Diamond!” Spinel couldn’t manage to take herself seriously however, and her tongue poked out of the corner of her lips, a smile cracking through.   
  
“It’s Rose now, none of that dumb saluting.. Today, i hereby name you a Crystal Gem. Welcome aboard, Spinel.” Rose was already becoming exhausted with everyone’s refusal to respect her new identity, and wondered how bad it would really be if she had just stayed Rose Quartz forever. Spinel wouldn’t be here, for one. And though she felt guilty for leaving her in the garden with no indication of when she’d be coming back, she could already imagine Spinel following her every move, punctuating serious discussions with her childish antics.   
Maybe Spinel reminded Rose of herself, and that’s why she didn’t particularly want her around. But like it or not, Spinel was here now.   
  
“YYYAAAAAAYYYY!” Spinel cheered, spinning around joyously, then pausing to scratch her head with puzzlement.   
“What’s a Crystal Gem?”   
  
Deep breaths. Rose closed her eyes, took a moment to ground herself, then opened them up with renewed enthusiasm.   
“I think I know just the gem to get you started. Pearl, could you please show Spinel where Bismuth’s forge is? Bismuth can help you pick out the right weapon for you, and explain everything you’ll ever need to know about being a Crystal Gem!”   
  
“Oh a forge! I’ve always wanted to see a forge! That’s where the toys are made, right?” Spinel bounced up and down vigorously, then grabbed Pearl’s hand whilst bouncing, earning a baffled, then annoyed look from Pearl.   
“Let’s go then, what are we waiting for!?”  
  
“Great, while you’re doing that I still need to plan how I’m going to liberate the Rose Quartzes and humans, so you two have fun and I’ll-” Spinel’s hand suddenly was gripping Rose’s with a fierce insistence.   
  
“But… but… I just got here! Don’t you want to spend more time with your best friend? I… I thought you were happy to see me, I.. I didn't do anything wrong, did I?”   
Spinel’s eyes were suddenly big and threatening to fill with tears.   
  
Rose heaved yet another in the long line of sighs that day, submitting to this fate.   
“....Yeah, of course. You’re right. Let’s go together. Pearl, can you find Garnet? I’ll need her help coming up with a plan to free the Rose Quartzes and humans. I’ll meet you back here when Spinel and I are done.”   
  
Pearl glanced dubiously at Spinel’s vice-like grip on Rose’s hand and the uncomfortable smile plastered to her face. She hated to leave her at Spinel’s mercy, but frankly she didn’t think she could stand Spinel either.   
“We’ll see you then.” She affirmed, giving Rose a pity-smile before heading off to look for Garnet.   
  
Rose waved her off, then returned her attention to Spinel. “Okay, Just one quick warp to Bismuth and you’ll be all set.” Rose led Spinel to the warp, and in a flash they were in a rocky, volcanic environment.   
  


Spinel gawked and squealed with excitement, tugging on Rose’s arm and walking while turning in place, leading to her twisting her body like a twizzler, before dramatically spinning back into place.    
  
Rose did her best to not mind her antics, and when they arrive at Bismuth’s forge, she hoped this time Spinel would get the hint when she released her hand and walked through the open entrance.    
“Bismuth? I have a new Crystal Gem here looking to get outfitted.”    
  
“YOOHOOOO! I’M HERE FOR A NEW TOOOYYYY!” Spinel called out, twisting her fingers into a megaphone to amplify her voice, then giggling as she ran on in, stopping to wait for Rose.    
  
Rose gave her a brief irritated look before walking her in, finding Bismuth sorting her newly made weapons. “Yes, Spinel here wants to join the Crystal Gems, and needs a weapon. She also would, er… like more background on the Crystal Gems. I was hoping you could help her?”    
  
Bismuth paused in her sorting to look distrustfully at Rose, but staying mad at her when she clearly was committing fully to the cause was a troublesome task.  _ And  _ Rose had taken her advice seriously and followed through. Bismuth truly couldn’t find it in her to stay peeved.    
“Alright, let’s take a look at her then!”    
Bismuth announced with that boisterous charm of hers, striding over to Spinel and giving her a thorough look-over. Spinel bowed theatrically, and Bismuth began to nod approvingly.    
“You’ll do just fine, Spinel was it? With those twisty limbs of yours, I'm thinking maybe… nun-chucks?”   
  
Bismuth turned to get a set off her weapon’s rack, handing them to Spinel to test out. “Give them a whirl, see how they feel.”    
  
“Okie dokie!” Spinel chirped, proceeding to spin and swing the nun-chucks, all the while making what she thought to be ‘attack’ noises.    
  
Bismuth watched with a critical eye, nodding along and mumbling bits of encouragement before stepping in to better direct her attacks.    
“Ok, you got the spirit, but try to be a little more focused..” Bismuth took the nun-chucks from Spinel and demonstrated the proper way to use them, before giving them back to Spinel.    
  
“Ohhhh, I get it now!” Spinel stuck out her tongue as she twirled the nun-chucks vigorously, again making cringey attack noises, this time getting decidedly more aggressive.    
  
“Okay, back it up now Spinel, that’s good- Spinel, slow it down, you’re gonna-”    
  
**SMACK.** Spinel stumbled back from hitting herself in the face- _ hard _ \- with nun-chucks. She wobbled around in a daze, then fell against Rose in a noodly limp heap, which Rose was now struggling to hold in her hands, Spinel’s limp form slipping through her fingers.    
  
“Aw, i told you to tone it down girl. Okay, maybe nun-chucks are… too precision for your style. You need something you can spin, with a longer range of attack. A staff maybe? Or a scythe?” Bismuth turned to scrutinize her wall of weapons again.    
  
“Perhaps any further practice should be done in the forge basement?” Rose suggested, trying to scoop up the rest of Spinel’s noodled limbs off the floor. Spinel responded by blowing into her thumb like she was a balloon animal, re-inflating herself until she could stand on her own once more.    
  
“OOO! A scythe sounds neato! Let’s try that!”    
  
Bismuth chuckled, picking a scythe from off the wall and gesturing for them to follow her into the basement of the forge where all the practice dummies were kept. Once down there, she handed the scythe to Spinel.    
“Okay, go nuts. Just don’t hurt yourself.”    
  
While Spinel took the Scythe and began joyously swinging it around, Bismuth sidled up to Rose and with a hand covering her mouth, asked in a hushed tone “Where’d you find this one? She’s spunky, but gonna need a lot of practice.”    
  
“We… um.. Were friends, she got my message and came right away. I just… wish she’d come for the right reasons.” Rose sighed, watching as Spinel swung her scythe at a practice dummy.    
  
Bismuth gave her a puzzled look, so Rose elaborated in hushed tones, so Spinel wouldn’t hear.    
“She came because I used to be Pink Diamond and she was made to be my best friend after a… an accident. She didn’t come for the cause, she came chasing the old me, and that’s somebody I can't give back to her. Things are serious now. I can’t be holding her hand throughout a war. I can’t be her best friend.”    
  
Bismuth tried to look sympathetic, but knowing Rose’s identity changed things a bit. “Look, I get it, you just want to leave the past in the past. But you really can’t just ignore the gems left behind and pretend to be a better person because those you hurt are out of sight and out of mind. You have to at least tell her the truth and stop leading her on, because if you don’t it’s gonna blow up in your face.”    
  
The sound of metal on stone sliced through the air as one of the practice dummies were sliced clean in half by Spinel, the crumbling stone punctuating a tense ensuing silence. Spinel turned around, tears brimming in her eyes.    
“I can hear you, y'know… I’m not stupid.”   
  
“Oh, Spinel, I-” Rose took a step towards her, and paused when Spinel’s face crumpled into crestfallen tears.    
“I’m sorry Spinel, I didn’t mean to be dishonest… I.. I really am glad you’re here, i just… I need more space than I did when we played in the garden. I need you to be independent, and become your own gem.”    
Rose approached carefully, holding her arms out to appeal to Spinel. Spinel didn’t resist when Rose took her hand.    
“Things can’t go back to the way they were. But we can start over. Me, no longer a Diamond to be feared and respected, but a rebel against homeworld and a voice for the life here that can’t protect itself. You, no longer a playmate or a toy, but a warrior, for justice, and for all gems who’ve been forgotten by the diamonds. This is no longer a game Spinel, but if you’re willing to commit to our cause and make new friends, i’d be honored to fight by your side. As allies first, and later as friends. Can you do that for me?”    
  
“I… I can try..” Spinel whimpered, wiping away her tears and giving Rose a weak smile. “Where do I even start?”    
  
Bismuth spoke up this time, her boisterous voice full of confidence.    
“You got plenty of friends already Spinel! You’re a Crystal Gem now, and that means you got way better friends than one spoiled diamond! We’re an entire family, and you’ll never be alone again for as long as you’re a Crystal Gem! We look out for each other. Come on, keep showing me your moves with that Scythe! I really think you’re getting the hang of it. And later, I can take you to spar with the others!”    
Bismuth set a heavy hand on Spinel’s shoulder, her broad grin enough to inspire confidence in the insecure gem for the first time in a while.    
  
“Yeah...Yeah! Okay! Do i hold it like this?” Spinel demonstrated with the scythe, grinning up at Bismuth.    
  
“That’s it! Now give those homeworld dummies a real good slice!” Bismuth pointed to one of the targets.    
  
Rose breathed out in relief. Spinel was back, but… it was okay. Surprisingly, just explaining how she felt… worked. Wordlessly, she slipped away from the forge, leaving Spinel with her new friend and hopefully many more to come. Maybe now with the last of these unexpected visitors over and done with, she could return her full focus to the rebellion at hand.   



	5. War Council

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crystal Gems talk about their plans for the future.

The following week had been a whirlwind of activity for the Crystal Gems. After Rose’s message to the universe declaring independence from homeworld and rallying other gems to join the rebellion, gems had flocked to earth from all over the galaxy. Off-colors, fusions, defective servant-caste and disillusioned gems of all cut, color and facet. Those who were formerly in service to Pink Diamond had found themselves lost and confused without a purpose, some switching sides to one of the three other diamonds and some questioning their allegiance to homeworld entirely and joining up with the Crystal Gems.   
No matter the reason, Rose’s stunt meant that the Crystal Gems were no longer fighting Pink Diamond’s forces, and their ranks had swelled considerably. With the lull in the fighting and new recruits to train, things had been fairly chaotic. And cramped.   
  
“....We’re going to need a bigger base..” Rose murmured to herself, nervously scanned the beach, packed with gems of all sorts. They hadn’t really prepared for this many gems to respond to their rallying message, and now they were going to need to build a larger, more organized base of operations. Rose mentally made a note to ask Bismuth about that. Bismuth primarily enjoyed making weapons, but she was also invaluable when it came to the organization of the rebellion, being practically built for teamwork and cooperation with large-scale plans.   
  
She’d just gotten back from the Moonbase to deactivate or sabotage a lot of the tech, while taking the Observation Orb and communicator as assets. She expected the warp in the Moonbase to be removed by the diamonds to prevent the Crystal Gems from using it, so she’d planned accordingly. This would likely be the last time she ever used the moon warp.   
Turning towards the Temple, Rose entered the interior to find herself in the main room, where all their bubbled gems of enemy soldiers were kept. Bismuth, Pearl and Garnet were already there, and though they may have wanted to start their meeting _with_ Rose, a discussion was clearly taking place when Rose arrived.   
  
“-well we can’t rely on insider information from our very own diamond anymore, this war’s about to get much harder now that we can’t magically predict all their statistics.”   
  
“Not like she had much access to top secret information anyways, the diamonds trusted her with the bare minimum and handled much of the rest.”   
  
“But it does explain why my future vision was so off…”   
  
“Ahem. I’m back, did I miss anything?” Rose interrupted with a knowing smile, feeling the eyes of all three crystal gems turn to her.   
  
“Rose! I told them to wait until you got back, but Bismuth-”   
  
“- Had some good points that needed addressing.” Garnet nodded to Bismuth, before letting her gaze settle on Rose. “There’s just a lot of concerns.”   
  
“That’s why we’re here. Bismuth, I can always trust you to be real with me. What are your concerns?” Rose bubbled the communicator in her hand, letting it float up to the ceiling. The Observation Orb soon followed.   
  
Bismuth wasted no time in laying down the facts. “I can understand- _kinda_ \- why you had to keep up appearances by faking a war, but now that you’re no longer deciding the outcome of battles, we have no idea what Homeworld is planning. How do we even know if any of our victories were real or manufactured!? If our victories were based on lies we can’t know our real strength, especially in comparison to homeworld, and _especially_ with the flood of new recruits to train and bring up to speed. And let’s not forget that your fake war had real consequences for the Crystal Gems shattered, leaving us with less experienced soldiers.”   
  
Guilt flashed across Rose’s face. Bismuth was right, of course. Gems were shattered fighting the forces she, as Pink Diamond, had sent to fight to keep up appearances of making an effort to deter the rebellion. It was foolish, lives were wasted, and the entire ruse was poorly planned from the beginning. Bismuth was right to be so critical of her mistakes, and of their army’s ability to fight a real war with real unknowns against an extremely powerful and united enemy. But like Pearl had said, she wasn’t always informed of what was going on, and Blue often stepped in to fight her battles for her.   
“Your concerns are… justified..” Rose started with a weary sigh. “But i believe in the strength of our army. It’s true that some of the battles were designed to be failures, but most of the time it was Blue or Yellow commanding my forces in my stead. I knew little about the attacks planned by Blue and Yellow, those victories were real. As for our information running dry, that’s what this is for.”   
  
Rose leapt straight up to gently re-secure the Observation Orb, floating back down and popping its bubble. Turning the globe and activating its simulation tech prompted a hologram to spread out from its position, detailing the battlefield at her palanquin, scarred and torn up, but now deserted.   
“I recovered this from the Moon Base, before the warp is inevitably removed. It allows us to see anything on earth. We have the home advantage here, we may no longer be able to predict our enemy’s exact movements but we _will_ know when and where they are on earth.”   
  
Considering Bismuth’s other points proved to be a separate, and not as easily solvable problem however.   
“New recruits is a good thing, but you’re right that we’re overwhelmed. Not all of our new Crystal Gems are built for fighting, but I believe if we had a base of operations made to handle an army this large, we could re-organize and delegate higher ranks to our more experienced Crystal Gems, so it’s not as overwhelming for us.”   
  
“You make a good point Rose, but if you haven’t noticed we don’t exactly have _time_ to just relax and build a better base.” Bismuth reached out to touch the orb, flicking through the different locations of gem structures.   
“And nothing that’s already been built works either, it’s all either unfinished or meant for uppercrusts. Look at this! Temple after temple, spire after spire, nothing useful. You diamonds couldn’t prioritize infrastructure before your high and mighty temples?”   
  
Rose frowned, an embarrassed blush creeping onto her face. “That’s… my fault. I wanted the… fun stuff.. Built first..”   
She averted her eyes and guiltily rubbed the back of her head. When Bismuth said it like that, it became quite apparent how selfish and short-sighted she’d been. It was her _first_ colony, there were bound to be mistakes made. But the mistakes of a childish diamond were now the burden of a revolutionary war commander.   
  
Bismuth scoffed, spinning the orb until the simulated environments dissipated. “Figures.”   
  
Rose sunk into an increasingly contrite expression, until Garnet spoke up.   
  
“If we commandeer homeworld drop-ships, we can use the materials within to supply our army and the tech to better organize and house all the new recruits.”   
  
Rose’s eyes lit up with admiration. “Garnet! That’s such a smart idea!”   
  
Garnet smirked, adjusting her visor smugly. “All my ideas are good ones.”   
  
“But how are we going to commandeer drop-ships? Rose certainly can no longer access her own, and Homeworld’s will be guarded, if they land at all.” Pearl held a hand to her chin in a worrisome manner, looking to Bismuth for input, which she provided.   
  
“Those new recruits didn’t get here on foot. I’m certain a few were pilots, or have friends who are pilots. We can ask them if they left their drop-ships parked somewhere, or if they can contact any friends on Homeworld who can snag a few. Looks like our information and organization crisis is solved.”   
  
“There’s… still one more matter we must address..” Pearl began nervously, wringing her hands.   
“Now that the diamonds know one of their own is leading the rebellion, I don’t think they’ll _stop_ until Rose is captured. Before they just wanted her dead, but they’d never shatter their own. We need to come up with a plan, something.. _Big_ to hit em where it hurts badly enough that they give up.”   
  
“We could just keep fighting until they’re drained of resources. Homeworld can’t keep fighting forever.” Garnet stated matter of factly.   
  
“ _We_ can’t keep fighting forever either.” Rose interjected solemnly. “My original idea was to fake my own shattering to convince them that Earth was a lost cause, but that’s kinda off the table now.”   
  
“Well as long as we’re talking about shattering, i bet doing in one of the diamonds would do the trick. Show em we mean bismuth.”   
Bismuth cracked a humorless smile, but the dejected look on Rose’s face was enough to make her drop it.   
“Well, poofing works too.”   
  
“I _know_ the diamonds are terrible, believe me, I've lived with them my entire life. Maybe they… _deserve_ it even, but i.. I can’t consider it an option if there’s even a small chance that… someday they change their mind. They’re still my family, and I know it’s silly to hold out hope that they’ll ever be anything other than dictators, but I can't shake the feeling that there’s good in them. Maybe not today, maybe not in a thousand years, but someday I believe they’ll see the error of their ways.” Rose clasped her hands together and held them to her lips pensively, preparing to be mocked for craving her family’s redemption.   
Instead, Bismuth set a hand on her shoulder in consolation.   
  
“You really do see the beauty in everything, don’t you Rose? You’re living proof that a diamond can change. We won’t make you give up on them. But we still need to hurt them badly enough to get them to leave Earth alone.” Bismuth retracted her hand, only for Rose to envelope her in a hug full of gratitude.   
  
“Bismuuuuuth! I don’t know what I'd do without you!” Rose rejoiced, giving her a small squeeze before releasing her.   
  
“Heh, yeah well, you’d probably lose the war for one.” Bismuth chuckled, setting her hands on her hips while trying to think of ways to end the war.   
  
“Maybe we’re overthinking this.” Garnet stated, causing all 3 gems present to turn and look at her with curiosity.   
“War cannot simply be ended with one big resolution. It’s a lot of interconnected victories which lead to the overall victory. Rose has already set in motion the most important pieces; public support, and home advantage. If we can undermine their efforts from Homeworld with our message and keep fighting them off every foothold on earth, eventually their defeat will be so humiliating they’ll have no choice but to withdraw.”   
  
Rose furrowed her brows to consider this. “Isn’t that still a war of attrition? We can’t outlast homeworld.”   
  
“Not exactly. We aren’t whittling their resources down slowly, but instead striking hard and fast in calculated places. Rather than one single devastating attack, we deliver several smaller crippling blows to their infrastructure. Kindergartens, supply depots, weapons and ship manufacturing factories, until fighting us becomes too costly. We don’t have to overthrow their colonies or homeworld, just make this war as ruinous for them in as short amount of time as possible. It will be difficult, but… I see a timeline where we can win.”   
  
“You think we can actually do all that?” Pearl appeared irresolute, but heartened at the possibility of a strategy that could win them the war.   
  
“Before Rose confessed her identity, it would have been impossible. But now with the surge of support from having a diamond for our cause, we have the numbers and moral advantage to make it happen.”   
  
“Garnet, that’s brilliant!” Rose gasped, awestruck by her ability to so meticulously break down their strategy.   
“All that’s left to do now is get started. Once we have new bases and chains of command established, we can use the communication hub to incentivize an uprising in Homeworld directly, and work on taking out Homeworld’s resources.”   
  
“Well what’re we waiting for!? We’re the Crystal Gems, let’s go show those diamonds exactly what that means!”   
  
With their strategies and plans effectively decided upon, the future was beginning to look a little more achievable.   
  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
For the Diamonds, the future was already looking grim. Their week had been spent crushing protests and the deserters fleeing homeworld on ships and warps to join the rebellion. Warps had been shut down. Spaceports grounded. Gems who had been spreading the news of Rose Diamond’s message had been imprisoned, or shattered. Supporters had been forced by the homeworld loyalists into hiding underground, or to keep quiet about their support.   
It was still chaos. It was still incredibly alarming.   
  
Each of the remaining three diamonds of The Diamond Authority were in a video call with each other, as there was far too much work to be done to meet in person.   
  
“I don’t understand. I’ve shattered every single gem to speak about the rebellion, and yet i still find propaganda strewn everywhere! It’s plastered in the Reef, coded into hacked systems, and being broadcast on hacked communicators all over Homeworld. Pink has really gone too far this time.” White was looking frustrated, her anger a cold and blistering intensity as she worked on shutting down the messages wherever they cropped up, and checking footage from all over homeworld to flush out traitor meetings.   
  
“I’ve managed to eliminate propaganda on most of my colonies, but there’s been multiple cases of ships disappearing, and supplies going missing. I’ve grounded all ports, but gems keep sneaking off. I’m currently in the process of mobilizing my armies to take back the Sky Arena and set up a base. I have a trusted Hessonite in charge of commanding my armies once they get there.” Yellow Diamond too appeared frustrated in her on-screen image, several other screens surrounding her on a yellow throne while she sent out various commands and checked up on the status of her mobilizing forces.   
  
“My sapphire’s predictions were correct. The Moonbase has been sabotaged, a communicator and the Observation Orb stolen. Without the data from the console, we can’t make a new one. We’re blind on Earth.” Blue Diamond was, for once, fierce rather than weepy. She looked focused, and a bit more than peeved.   
“I’ve uninstalled the warp pad there in case they try to come back to retrieve the console’s data, but the damage has been done. I can’t believe Pink would do this to us…”   
  
“Are we really going to take her little rebellion seriously? Wouldn’t the logical approach be to ignore this outburst, shut down contact with Earth and let her burn herself out for a few thousand years? We struggle for resources enough as it is without spending what precious amount we have on a war. And without Pink, we can’t create gems needed to fight her.” Yellow hardly even looked towards the screen as she talked.   
  
“If nothing else we must show that we’re not fazed by her rebellion. If we demonstrate to our gems that this rebellion is of no concern, our gems will fall into line.” Blue seemed to realize she was repeating the words she’d once told to Pink, and she winced.   
“I just want Pink back.”   
  
“I don’t think Pink wants us back. But if we can get her off-world, we can wipe out her armies at the least, without harming her. It would eliminate the threat to Homeworld, and she can sulk on her miserable planet to think about what she’s done until Yellow’s experiment incubates. By the way, how is that doing Yellow?”   
White flicked her eyes briefly to her own screen to look at Yellow.   
  
Yellow immediately brought up a screen displaying statistics, and a listing of subjects.   
“The fusion experiments started yesterday, I have Peridots working covertly in the Prime Kindergarten with the shattered gems from the war we’ve collected. If Pink wants to throw her colony away, we can at least get _some_ use out of it. They won’t be due to be fused and incubated for a while yet, and it will be thousands of years before the first experiments are expected to emerge, much less my geo-weapon pet project.”   
  
“Excellent. All we have to do is fight Pink’s silly little war, and if she’s bitten off more than she can do, we can crush her rebellion and capture the gems involved and punish her directly. If she proves stubborn, we get her off her planet, destroy her armies in one fell swoop, and let it be her prison until Yellow’s pet project is due to emerge. She’ll have no reason to stay on Earth if it’s destroyed, and then things can get back to normal.” White proclaimed, her voice taking on a sagely, self-satisfied tone. Sure the situation wasn’t ideal, but they had it under control.   
  
“We’re just… going to _let_ Pink stay there? But we _need_ her for our gem production, and-”   
  
Yellow cut Blue off rather harshly. “She needs to learn a lesson, and she won’t learn it until she sees her armies obliterated and her precious planet destroyed. I know it will be hard without her, but.. It’s for her own good.”   
  
Blue Diamond turned away from her screen, fighting back tears which slid down her cheek anyways.   
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. Surely their armies can’t be that organized and capable if Pink is leading them. We will defeat her rebellion.”   
  
“Yes, well, maybe ask your sapphires that.” Yellow stated a little roughly, before unceremoniously ending the call, White soon following, and Blue ending last, faced with the very real and possible future of a life without Pink Diamond.   
“For her own good..” She repeated to herself with melancholic desolation.


	6. (Author update) Good News and Bad News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good news and bad news

This wasn't an easy decision to make, and I have a lot of anxiety about disappointing people and not living up to expectations, but it's wholly necessary for the good of the story as a whole. I have some good news and bad news.   
  
First, the bad news. After a lot of careful deliberation, I have decided to stop updating this version of the story. I've done a lot of thinking for how i would like to tell this story, and have found myself dissatisfied with writing a story i started hastily and with no structure or planning. I'm incredibly sorry to anyone who is disappointed by this decision, but there is a silver lining.   
  
Now for the good news! The story does not end here. In fact, far from it. I'm going to be taking my time to better plan out the kind of story i want to tell, and once I've figured everything out I will begin posting chapters again, this time from a better starting point and with a much more cohesive idea on what i want this AU to accomplish. I can't say when that will be, but that leads me to another bit of good news.  
I _WILL_ continue to update, draw art, and answer asks on this AU's Blog, <https://pink-providence-au.tumblr.com/>. The story is not necessary for the premise of Rose Quartz revealing she is really Pink Diamond during the rebellion, and anything up to this point in the story will still be considered canon as far as the blog is concerned. Once I've reworked how i want to approach writing this with confidence, significant portions as seen in the current version will still be present in the reworked version, albeit improved upon, and the story will resume with (hopefully) scheduled updates and more structure overall.   
  
I want to make it very clear that i hold a lot of love in my heart for Steven Universe, and i genuinely want to explore the question of how the timeline could be made better or worse by Pink Diamond being honest from the beginning. I will be continuing work on this AU and fanfic, but more privately to ensure i am not stressing myself out with releasing unpolished/hasty work, or self-inflicted guilt from wanting to live up to perceived expectations. I'm very excited to write it and to contribute to a fandom I've loved since the day Steven Universe aired, and i want to give it the level of time and attention i feel it really deserves.  
  
I want to give a really big thanks to everyone who has commented or encouraged me and this AU! Your support honestly blew me away, and ignited a big motivation to do my very best and put in my best effort. I appreciate it so much, it really does mean a lot for me. And thank you all again, for being understanding of my decision and allowing me to write the story this fandom deserves. Keep an eye on the Tumblr blog for updates and art regarding this AU, goodbye for now!

**Author's Note:**

> Due to a coincidence in which myself and another creator chose the same name for our AUs, I've decided to change mine to Pink Providence. I hope this change isn't too jarring for anyone!


End file.
